Warrego River

Warrego River
Intermittent river
The Warrego River at Cunnamulla
Name origin: 1. Aboriginal Bidyara: bad;[1] 2. Aboriginal: river of sand.[2]
Country	Australia
States	Queensland, New South Wales
Regions	IBRA: Brigalow Belt South, Mulga Lands
Districts	South West Queensland, Orana
Municipalities	Murweh, Paroo, Bourke
Part of	Murray-Darling basin
Source	Mount Ka Ka Mundi, Carnarvon Range
- location	east of Tambo, Queensland
- elevation	625 m (2,051 ft)
Mouth	Darling River
- location	near Bourke
- elevation	98 m (322 ft)
Length	1,380 km (857 mi)
Basin	69,290 km2 (26,753 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	2.5 m3/s (88 cu ft/s)
Reservoirs	Dillalah Waterhole, Ten Mile Waterhole, Lower Lila Dam, Six Mile Dam, Turtle Waterhole, and Boera Dam
[3]

Warrego River, an intermittent river that is part of the Darling catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the south west of Queensland and in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The Warrego River is northernmost tributary of the Darling River.^[4]

The river rises from below Mount Ka Ka Mundi in the Carnarvon Range, near Tambo in Queensland, and flows generally south, reaching its confluence with the Darling River, downstream from Bourke. The river is joined by thirty-seven tributaries, including the Nive and Langlo rivers; dropping 528 metres (1,732 ft) over the course of its 1,380 kilometres (860 mi) length. The river flows through a series of reservoirs, including the Dillalah Waterhole, Ten Mile Waterhole, Lower Lila Dam, Six Mile Dam, Turtle Waterhole, and Boera Dam.^[3]

The towns of Augathella, Charleville, Wyandra, and Cunnamulla are located on the banks of the river. Cunnamulla is the only town with a levee to protect it against flooding.^[5]

The name Warrego is an Australian Aboriginal word from the Bidyara language, believed to mean "bad";^[1] and is also an Aboriginal term meaning "river of sand".^[2]

Inflows

Most of the basin of the Warrego is too dry for cropping and has a very erratic rainfall of between 350 and 500 millimetres (14 and 20 in). It is covered with a natural vegetation of grassland of more fertile clay soils, and saltbush shrubland on less fertile red earths. The predominant land use is low-intensity grazing of sheep and cattle: the river's flow is much too erratic to permit irrigated cropping. The Warrego is essentially an ephemeral stream: it is not unknown for years to pass without any flow in the basin and substantial amounts of water reach the Darling River only in wet years almost always associated with La Niña events.

Outflows

Below Wyandra the river forms a series of outflowing creeks and anabranches. During floods, the Widgeegoara, Kudnapper and Noorama Creeks allow water to channel into Nebine Creek, a tributary of the Culgoa River.^[6] Cuttaburra Creek connects the Warrego to the Paroo River via a distribution system that flows through channels, floodways and wetlands.^[6] The Irrara Creek anabranch flows into Kerribree Creek which continues into a number of wetlands before filling Utah Lake.^[6]

Flooding

When La Niña strikes, flooding is usual along the Warrego: major floods associated with La Niña events occurred in 1950, 1954 to 1956, 1971, 1973, 1998 and 2008. Oddly, the most destructive flood ever recorded on the river took place in the absence of La Niña. In April 1990, as a result of two extremely strong trough in the easterlies, over 400 millimetres (16 in) of rain fell in Cunnamulla in two weeks, being more than the annual rainfall in over 60 percent of years. The river, along with most tributaries of the Darling, reached near-record levels and the towns of Augathella and Charleville were devastated. At Charleville a river height peak of 8.54 metres (28.0 ft) was recorded.^[5]

Fauna

The Warrego River is one of a few rivers where silver perch breed naturally.^[4] Golden perch and murray cod are also found on the river.

Carnarvon Station, once a large cattle property at the rivers headwaters, was acquired by the Australian Bush Heritage Fund in 2001, with the 590 square kilometres (230 sq mi) property set aside for the protection of threatened species of birds and animals.

Other

Two warships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Warrego after the river.

See also

• Rivers of New South Wales
• List of rivers of Australia
• Warrego Highway

References

External links

• "Barwon, Darling and Far Western catchments" (map). Office of Environment and Heritage. Government of New South Wales. 

Coordinates: 30°24′S 145°21′E / 30.400°S 145.350°E / -30.400; 145.350